ecobee, the maker of what is, without a doubt, my single favorite thermostat in the history of ever, has been working behind the scenes on its API (Application Programming Interface) for quite some time now. This week, the company announced that its http-based API is now public, providing developers with a whole host of tools needed to integrate the Smart Thermostat and Smart Thermostat Si into all manner of different connected platforms.

ecobee’s API platform provides developers with a complete and easy-to-use tool set to help them develop powerful applications, which integrate with ecobee’s smart thermostats. As more and more people get connected and look for seamless technology to enhance their lives, ecobee and their partner community deliver homeowners more choice, comfort, energy savings and peace of mind. Partners developing apps for the ecobee platform include: Mi Casa Verde, Smart Things, The UBI, Earth Networks, Integral Analytics, Auto Grid, Energy Sherlock, MMB Research Solutions and many more!

A quick look at ecobee’s API page gives a hint at some of the possibilities. New support for Mi Casa Verde ties ecobee’s thermostats into VeraLite and Vera3 home automation controllers, for example. Ubi has announced voice-activated control of ecobee thermostats. Integral Analytics is also taking energy savings to the next level by developing a driver that lets utilities tap into the Home IQ data provided by ecobee to improve efficiency.

Unfortunately, Control4 isn’t on that list, so it looks like I’ll still have to wait a bit to tie my own ecobee Smart Thermostat into the rest of my home control system, but a post in the ecobee Knowledge Base points to a possible reason for the holdup:

Unfortunately, we do not interoperate with Control 4 today. While we both support ZigBee communications, the standards are not yet a point where supporting ZigBee means the same thing as interoperating. There are different flavors of ZigBee and, unfortunately, it will take some time before that means everything works nicely together.

At any rate, the release of the public API opens up any number of possibilities for advanced control, monitoring, data collection, and connectedness.

If you’d like to develop your own solution for the platform, you’ll need your own ecobee thermostat, of course, but the company has made the signup process a snap.

Features

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